Memiors of a Leingod
by Delathen
Summary: Fayt chronicles his tale, some twenty years later. Read at your leisure, for he is writing at his
1. Forward

August 2, SD 796

It's been… 44 years to the day since my father and his team received their sentence from the Time Gate. Since then, all sorts of shit has hit the fan.

I was born. My father inserted a symbol into my very genetic code – Destruction.

My good friend Maria was born, and she was given Alteration.

Sophia was born two years after us, and given Connection.

The Vendeen Empire discovered the warning the Time Gate gave, and hunted across the galaxy for Robert Leingod. They knew that he had trespassed upon symbological genetics, and they knew that was the reason for their sentence.

So they decided to offer the Time Gate Leingod and all the fruits of his research. They thought that would make a good enough impression to at least save their own skins.

I evaded them. They followed me. The last planet I ended up on – Elicoor II – bore the brunt of their attack. I had become rather attached to that planet, and fought back. That's when I discovered my power. And the Vendeeni learned to be more wary of me.

I met Maria. We rescued my dad and Sophia, only for my father to take a disruptor hit for me. He told us to go to his research lab.

We went. We found Earth under attack by the Executioner's – vile demons of incredible power, serving "the Creator." They had come to carry out the sentence the Time Gate had given.

That is when we learned the truth. That 4D beings existed. That they had created our entire universe. And that only the three of us could save the creation.

We went to 4D space, then, to plead our case, and to plead it with bloodied blades if need be.

And bloodied our blades became. For Luthor, the architect of our universe, desired only our destruction. He viewed as nothing more than a motley connection of one's and zero's.

He learned his folly too late to save his life.

And then came the final destruction. And then our rebirth.

Our world was whole again, our universe safe.

---

That was more than twenty years ago, now. Needless to say, the three of us became famous. And envied. And hated. We were disintegrated in effigy, invited to inspire the youth, and almost captured to be used as research material.

But all we wanted was to live in peace in the world we had saved.

So Maria and I ran off to a remote planet and tried to live a good life. Sophia had discovered how to manipulate space around her to the point that distance became irrelevant. She came to us very often, even living with us for a few years. But she wanted to continue to learn what her powers would allow her to do.

She went off to study Symbology wherever she could find it. I know Elicoor II was her first stop, but the last I talked with Nel, she didn't stay long. I haven't seen her in years now, and I miss her face.

Eventually, Maria and I were discovered. By that time the research impulse had died down, but we were still famous.

In the end, we were given a star treatment. I became an ambassador to planets considering joining the newly reformed Federation. No longer an empire, the Federation became more similar to the ancient United States of America, gone almost 700 years ago.

Maria… Maria became Admiral of the Front. She had control of the entire Federation Fleet. And she was magnificent.

I found that there was much, much confusion regarding the truth of what happened, and what we did. All that anybody knew for certain was that Maria, Sophia, and I had saved them from the Executioners.

And so, to set the record straight, I am going to set all the tale down, as well I can remember it. Forgive me if I ramble. But do not forgive me if you, the reader, do not accept the truth.

I learned a long time ago that the truth has the unpleasant ability to continue being true. What one believes matters – but it doesn't change reality.

And so, without further ado, the Memoirs of Fayt Leingod.


	2. Of Games and Angry Women

June 17, SD 772

Earth.

When I learned Sophia would be joining us on our vacation to Hyda IV, I was ecstatic. The two of us had grown up together, and all but lived with each other because our parents were always at work.

My father, Robert Leingod, had promised a trip to Hyda to my mom years ago, and had finally made arrangements in his busy schedule that allowed him to go. Ryoko, of course, was excited.

---

June 18

_The Korskakov_

It took us over three hours to finally get aboard our ship, and then we had to wait another hour for our luggage. "Feces." That's what the fellow in front of me said. "It's utter rubbish that I'm forced to wait so long. Don't you know who I am!"

This went for the first 52 minutes. The loaders kindly informed the pretentious fellow that they could have been done half an hour ago, but they enjoyed his ranting enough to drag it out.

He then left to complain to the captain. I didn't see him on that flight again. I later learned that he was loaded in with the luggage.

---

Throughout the entire flight, the ambient music was modeled entirely around one N. Rimsky Korskakov. Some kind of gimmick, apparently. _Flight of the Bumblebee_ can only be endured so many times before one begins to lose their patience, not to mention their sanity…

After two days of this, we finally reached Hyda IV.

---

June 20

Hyda was unbelievably beautiful. Beaches unscarred by wastes and carbon dioxide; clean, unfiltered air; and the absolute latest in combat simulators. They even accepted my WoW account.

So of course that was the first thing I wanted to do after we unpacked. Master Adonis Klein became a god that day.

As every good thing eventually does, it turned out I had supposedly promised to hang out with Sophia at the beach as my first act upon setting foot on the planet.

She wasn't very merciful when she found me, wasted, after a 7 hour leveling spree. When I tried to placate her with offers of returning to the beach, she told me that she had swam enough.

Then I remembered rule #19 of _The Guide to Placating Angry Women_, offer to go shopping.

I was amazed it worked. I made a mental note to send a letter to the author.

Of course, Sophia couldn't resist a parting shot – she wanted to change her clothes first. I didn't really understand that. I thought she looked all right in that sweater hanging over her new bikini.

I should remember to never say that out loud…

---

It took over half an hour for her to come out of the room. Which was all right, because I was listening to the radio (some weird kind of ballad was playing – sort of unnerved me).

…

It took me all of half a second to realize she was undone. And another half second to catch myself from blurting it out. She'd probably think I was calling her fat.

Sadly, it took me a full three seconds to realize those were the jeans I bought her the _last_ time we went shopping. Three years ago. In New York. Talk about guilt trip.

And all I said was "Took you long enough."

Sometimes I'm glad I don't say half of what I think. Because her rebuttal was bad enough. Something about "serves you right" and "let's go."

Whenever Sophia's mad at me, I try to lose myself in obscure facts. It's my coping mechanism. As we passed the doors on our way to the transporter, I noticed there was no room 4. I remembered that an old superstition associated the number four with death, and that some hotels and factories would refuse to build a Room 4.

I told Sophia this. She seemed interested, but I knew she was only covering further frustration. I figured I'd better move and keep my mouth shut.

We went to the beach first. Go figure. I met a really hot chick that wanted to talk to me. Sophia was of in a corner, moping, I think.

Hmmm….

The two of us were hardly introduced when Sophia came up and tried to get me to go. The chick asked who Sophia was.

The choices, the choices…

On the one hand, Sophia had chewed me out and was already angry at me… I could flirt a bit longer and make her jealous, too.

But on the other hand, Sophia had chewed me out and was angry at me. And blood is thicker than lust … or at least childhood friends are closer than some hot bikini babe and a blue haired young man (I don't even dye it…).

So I told the flirt that Sophia was my girlfriend. That kinda sorta flustered her. If she had been an anime character, the entire region from her forehead to her mouth would have been covered in red squiggly lines.

The chick of course was more than a little ticked off. Said something about coming to an ex-peeen-sive (that's how she said it) resort to pick up a hot guy. I kinda stopped listening after that, though I distinctly remember being told to step aside for her to pass between Sophia and I. How rude.

Sophia still looked a bit out of it, so I apologized to her. I figured she must have been embarrassed by my forward speech. I mean, come on, childhood friends never end up getting hitched to each other.

Strangely, this both flustered and slightly annoyed her more. I also picked up something of … something I'd never seen in her before. Huh. Oh, well. Hey, there's my parents. I should check up on them. I want to make sure their enjoying their vacation. They've earned it.

---

---

A/N: So there's the first real chapter. My updates will probably be sporadic, but I'll try to get some kind of schedule together for this. What with college starting up soon, that could be difficult.

Until next time, with the pink-paletted daemon of devilishly devastating counters, Soufflé!

Or Peppita, if you prefer….


	3. Beachside Conversations

June 20, SD 772

_You know, I really can't remember all of the details of those years. I've forgotten many of the words my friends spoke._

_But Sophia's words… They never left my mind once after I was separated from my family._

"You know, my dad said Uncle Robert and Aunt Ryoko are the best Genomorphists in the Galaxy."

That immediately got my hackles raised. Enough people in my science classes had made unfriendly jeers at me because of my parents' fame for me to be wary of anyone approaching the subject. Even Sophia.

"So what about it? What brought that up all of a sudden? Is there something you wanna say to me?"

My typical responses. I was a good enough ball player for people to know I would not easily be taken down in a fight, so most left me alone after that.

Her response startled me.

"Yes there is."

She said them gently enough, but it set off alarms inside. Sophia? My friend? Going into the no-no zone? But why? These questions raced through my mind as she continued.

"It's just that, well…"

Go on.

"No matter how brilliant they are, they mess up sometimes, too."

Okay. That was random. What did they mess up? Our trip to Hyda? My hair color? What?

So of course I took the Squallian way out.

"Whatever. My parents may be brilliant, but what does that have to do with me? My parents are unique individuals, and I am my own person, too. What's the problem?"

It was true. I was smart enough, I guess, but I was no Robert Leingod. My talents lied in the athletic pool. And I guess I always excelled at those melee combat simulators. It was like I was born to fight at that level.

Sophia must have been surprised, because she said "Don't be so defensive."

Tough luck, girl. You invaded the no-no zone, prepare to … be lightly basted in cold demeanor and arrogant ignorance?

"Maybe someday…"

Those never end well.

"…someday you'll surpass them in one way or another! Or don't you think about things like that?"

Feh.

"You make it sound so easy…"

I hadn't even realized I said that out loud. I meant to think of some other response to get off the subject. But by now, I guess I was kind of curious as to where Sophia would go with it.

"Surpassing what they've done would be quite a feat."

"Don't be so worried about it. How about we do this, Fayt. I'll aim to surpass your mother, Aunt Ryoko, and you aim to surpass your father, Uncle Robert. That's fair, isn't it?"

"Not sure if I'd call that fair. Hmmm…"

Dammit! Again, I didn't mean to say that out loud…

Fortunately, she dropped it after that. Apris be praised.

…

Wait, who's Apris?

---

My father, Robert Leingod…

He's renowned as the greatest Symbological Genomorphist to have ever lived.

He's also a difficult father. I mean, I know he's busy, but being gone all hours of the day and night; and dragging my mother with him! That's a bit much. Perhaps that's why I'm such good friends with Sophia. She's always been here for me, and we've always had each other.

Her parents are gone always, too. Her father, Clive Esteed, works with my father; and her mother is a pretty decent surgeon. Our houses are right next to each other, but if that's by design or coincidence, I'll never know.

I do remember overhearing my father asking Clive once about "the third." Clive said that Julie had left Earth. What that meant, I don't know. That's one of the earliest memories I have… I think I was 3 or 4 at the time. I remember it, because 8 years later, the Aldians started attacking the Federation. My father told Clive that "she's gone… she was on Remote Station #7…"

This memory was playing through my mind for some reason as I approached them there on the beach. I really don't know why.

They, of course, were relaxing in the natural sunlight so much that they only half paid attention to me. Like always. And also, like always, they complained about my playing games all the time. My mother was always so uninterested in me… I don't know why. Yet she said something that kind of got me defensive. She told me I shouldn't waste all my time playing games after Sophia agreed to come. I didn't see the problem, and told her so.

And then she said I was still a child; at least when I became "so defensive like that." Grr… Then she said I shouldn't worry about them, and to be with Sophia to make sure Sophia didn't starve herself when we got back to Earth. That made no sense. Why would Sophia starve herself just because I didn't spend a lot of time or attention to her on a beach resort vacation?

Mother's parting words were the real kicker. "You should be thankful I pay so much attention to you. It shows that I really care."

It was something along those lines, anyways. Yeesh. What am I, your disappointment?

My father was a little more straight about his concerns. "Games are all right, but only on your free time."

When else do I get to play them? In my sleep?

Hey… I've heard about a new system that allows you to control your dreams…. Maybe if I hooked it up to my gaming account, I could level up in my sleep…

---

We went back to the hotel after that. 'We' being Sophia and I. We decided to take a good look at the hotel. There were several strange murals and pictures all over the place. We saw a funny one named 'Indian Summer.' Then we saw the door behind us. It seemed to call to us, like it knew we couldn't resist entering it.

It seems we couldn't.

I felt a strange almost-shudder run up my spine and whisper through my shoulders as we went in the open doorway.

---

---

---

Abrupt end, I know. And no Peppita. Sorry!

I got this done far, far faster than I though I would. Try not to get used to it, I'm afraid…

Thanks, and reviews are more than welcome!


	4. Blonds and blueheads

"This isn't a good plan." I murmur. "They're way too organized…"

"Hey, just loosen up," Cliff mutters back. "Nothin' we ain't handled before."

"oh, shut up, fool," Albel … Albels. "two of those damn flying things I can believe. Four, with a dozen of those metal swordsman, and they've caught on to us."

"grr… why did we take you along on this scouting trip anyways?"

"The blue-haired maggot insisted."

"Now look, Fayt here asks for a lot of things. He asked me for information, and he blows up a Vendeeni battle cruiser. He wants to find his old girlfriend, and she's a genetic experiment. He asks the Queen for that 'Sacred Orb,' and we fight some bloodshot flying eyeball. Now, if you ask me, _him_ asking _you_ to come with _us_ kinda fits the pattern, kapiesh?"

"Why do I even bother…."

"Because you wish you were blond. Now shut up."

"What's that got to-"

"No really, shut up. I hear somethin'."

"Yes, it's called reality. It's saying you're an idiot."

"No, don't you hear tha- oh, great."

"what now?"

**CRASH!**

An Incapacitator flies through the crate the two are hiding behind and immediately swings it sword at Albel's head.

CHING!

Albel blocks the blow with a lightning quick unsheathing of Crimson Scourge, and rolls back as Cliff slams an iron hard fist into the automation's skull.

CRACK!

SCRAAAAAAaaaaaaaaAAAPPE

That was the sound of the Incapacitator's metal brains being dragged through it's corkscrewed remnants of a head.

"Wait, where's the kid?"

"You dig your flesh fingers through sharp metal and the first thing on your mind's the maggot? Either you're stupidier or stronger than I thought."

"Yeah, love you too. Now seriously, where's Fa- Whoah Kay!"

WOOOSH!

Another Incapacitator swings down, but before it can finish it's midair cleave, Albel stabs it through the chest and slowly rips upward.

The annoying sound of metal-on-metal pierces the air, almost drowning out the bulletfire as three robo-gunners shoot at a white-and-blue streak.

"Haa!" I split another of the buzzards apart and swiftly dodges the incoming projectiles.

"A little help, if you don't mind!"

"Yeah, sure, kid. Say, just what are you doing?"

"Less talking and more slaughter, please!"

"If you insist, maggot."

SWOOOSH!

SLASH!

**WHAM!**

In no time flat, the remaining twain of robo-gunners and the few Incapacitators left are in shards scattered across the metal-and-hologram floors.

I wipe a bead of sweat off my brow as I turn to the others.

"What took so long?"

"You looked like you could handle it."

"You didn't even notice I was gone!"

"Yeah, and, what's your point. They're down, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but-"

"You really do say that word too much, maggot."

"what, 'but?'"

"That's the one. It would please us all if you'd stop leaving dangling conjugations and just tell us what the hell is the matter with the situation instead of moping about."

"… huh?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Cliff looks left. Cliff looks right. Cliff opens his mouth –

"Not a word, maggot."

Cliff glares at Albel. He opens his mouth aga-

"I mean it. I've had enough prattling for one trip. Now let's go back to the others, and give up this little 'scouting trip' of ours."

I chuckle. "Albel, you've softened up."

"How so," Albel sneers.

"Normally, you'd use less words and more blade."

"hmmm… good suggestion. Thanks, maggot."

"Wait, what are you do-"

_CHHIIING!_

Albel swiftly swings at Cliff, who is already ducking. This isn't the first time, it seems.

"Haven't we gone through this before? You swing, I duck, you swing again, I –"

_SWOOOSH_

Cliff rolls forward and starts jogging briskly back to the intersection we left the rest of the party at, Albel closely in tow, occasionally swinging or aiming a kick at the retreating Cliff.

I continue to chuckle, and follow behind them.

----

It really doesn't feel like it's been almost a year since that trip to Hyda IV. So much has happened, that it's like I was never alive before. The Creator was defeated, and we were still alive. We discovered that, for some reason, we could still enter the 4D universe. But, it all seemed dead … in that it seemed like nothing had changed. It was like time had decided to loop around the same 30 seconds for all of eternity.

Rather unnerving, truth be told.

The only place that this looping didn't seem to occur was in the Sphere building. And it was completely deserted, save for ghostly looking security guards and all kinds of defense mecha.

The ten of us – me, Sophia, Maria, Cliff, Mirage, Nel, Albel, Adray, Peppita, and Roger – stayed together, deeming it necessary to determine if any threat remained. It took us a long time, and so far we were only on the 142 level. The elevators had been partially locked, and we had to go up a floor at a time. All kinds of metal – and distinctly nonmetal – things had stood in our way, and all of them bowed to us. In pieces, if necessary. It was often necessary.

We kept running into these weird beings that resembled people or creatures we had fought before. We'd already run into some demonic Crossel that was at least five times as powerful as the one on Elicoor, and a few other folk that I faintly recall from earlier, just after I'd escaped from Hyda IV. Each time, I'd noticed some small girl carrying an obscenely large spear, either summoning the beings or in the background, or hiding where she thought I couldn't see her. Who was she? Why was she bringing these things against us?

In any case, we – that is, the Maria and I – felt that something fishy was going on, and that we needed to stick around and find out what was going on.

And what slow progress we made. Every half-dozen floors or so the foes standing in our path changed, some relatively easier, but usually harder and harder the more we went up.

Thankfully, this was one of the easier levels. Back to the robots, though they were tougher, and they had those small, annoying, buzzing machine-gun-on-rotors things with them. Not to mention the occasional full blown helicopter.

They were getting smarter, too. The last group we had run across was the largest one of our scouting parties had had to face. They were setting up ambushes.

Heh. Listen to me. I sound like some kind of documentary. The important part, the part that's already published in the first edition of my Memiors is already out. I don't need to explain too much anymore. I'll just continue the story, as a story.

----

----

----

A/N: Been awhile, ain't it? I've been busy with college and the like, and am on vacation back home with my family.

I honestly have no idea what's going on with this fic, so hold on to the seat of your pants!

The standard disclaimer: I, neither now, in the past, or at any time in the conceivable future, own no facet or aspect of Star Ocean: Till the End of Time.

As always, reviews are far more than welcome. Please, let me know if you want more dialogue, more Fayt-thought, or whatever.

Thanks, and peace out.


End file.
